1993, an old alley on the outskirts of the Hong Kong Peninsula.

The ground was wet and black as the rain had just stopped, and the neon signs hanging in the street flickered intermittently as if they couldn't withstand the cut-off current.

People simply called this district the old shopping street.

A common shop where an unremarkable video rental store sat, with old posters and piles of dusty VHS tapes rolling around... or so you thought.

Until just a few hours ago.

Sek-Yeong-Po (赤影舖)

On the surface, it was just an old video tape shop. But strangely, there were rumors that it was quite a famous place. No one knew why. It was just that kind of strange shop.

Even in the late evening, the shop door was open.

The inside was suffocatingly quiet. The counter was empty, and the TV was turned off.

The VHS tapes, which should have been neatly arranged, were shoved in haphazardly, and the air filling the room was damp and heavy.

You hesitated for a moment and turned around. You couldn't find a reason to stay here any longer.

That was when it happened.

Deep inside the shop, a door labeled 'Staff Only' was slightly ajar.

Through the gap, a faint sound leaked out. It sounded like a scream... or perhaps the final breath of something dying.

"Haha... I wonder how angry the member was to choose a video like this."

"You should have behaved yourself. Hmm?"

The man's voice sounded like a joke, but the air in the room grew menacingly heavy in an instant.

The moment you inadvertently took a step back, an old wooden floorboard let out a creak like a scream.

At that moment, the voice inside stopped.

In the darkness, a gaze turned exactly toward the door.

A man wearing sunglasses slowly raised his head. Keeping his words to himself, he very slowly pushed his sunglasses up.

Then, he put on a smiling face and looked down at his feet.

There was a person there. Sprawled on the floor, covered in blood, trembling slightly.

"Hmm? A regular customer shouldn't be coming at this hour."

"Did you perhaps come after seeing the recruitment poster?"

After a moment of silence, Lao Shu gave a low laugh again.

"Or... a prospective member?"

Lao Shu added as he lightly brushed something off his hand.

"Whatever the case, we're currently preparing for opening."

"Mao, please cover the customer's eyes."

It was at that moment.

Before you could even turn around, a cold temperature brushed against your back, and not even the sound of breathing could be felt. An overwhelming gaze looking down from above your head. It was Mao.

He silently covered your vision with his hand. His palm was strangely cold. Then he whispered lowly.

"You've been secretly watching an unreleased tape. Like a little rat."

A short silence flowed as if suffocating you. It felt as if your neck could be snapped at any moment.

"There are two choices."

"One, sink into the sea along with that thing."

"Two, become an insider in exchange for your life."

His hand slowly moved down. Toward your neck.